Rail-joint.



Patented Apr. 9, l90l. H. B. NICHOLS &. W. E. BUUGHTON.

' BAIL JOINT. (Application filed N6 0, 1900.

(No Model.)

nomus min 0).. PNOIO-LITHO.. wAsuwsmn. a. c.

' UNITED STATES PATENT Genres.

HARRY B. NIcHoLs AND WILFRED E. BOUGH'ION, on PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAIL-JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 671,605, dated April 9, 1961; Application filed November 6, 1900. Serial No. 35,618. (No model.)

hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,

and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to the restoration of railway-joints of the'standard construction 'L. 6., joints embodying the connection of the rail ends by means of fish-plates or splicebars interposed between the head and base of the rails and spanning the proximate ends of adjacent rail-sections to which they are bolted or otherwise secured. With joints of this character the car-wheels in passing from one rail end to the proximate end of the next rail tend to depress the latter, and thereby initiate a wearing away of the under surface of the head of the rail and the top surface of the fish-plate and to a lesser degree the upper surface of the base of the rail and the lower surface of the base-flange of the fishplate. This Wearing away, not only becomes gradually more and more aggravated, but

soon causes in the case of a track on which cars run in one direction only a depression 5 or hollow on the tread of the receiving-rail i about two and one-half or three inches from end of same, this distance depending on the size of the wheels in use. It finally becomes necessary to introduce shims for the purpose of occupying the worn places and to adjust the ends of the rail to approximately their original relative positions. This expedient affords but temporary relief, for the reason that the shims themselves presently become loosened and drop out of place. Moreover, they present anunsubstantial and insecure appearance and are tolerated only for temporary use.

Our invention is designed to restore the joint to substantially its original security and integrity and with entire avoidance of makeshift expedients of the kind referred to. To this end when the rail-joint has become worn to an extent requiring its renewal surface of the rail-base.

the removed fish-plates other fish-plates of the same general standard dimensions, but with the flanges offset, so that a side view of we disassemble the parts and substitute for the plate would show the top and bottom flange of one half the plate parallel to, but slightly out of alinement with, the other half. This is for the purpose of raising the extreme end of the receiving-yell to a position slightly above that of the delivering-rail in order to admit of grinding or filing down the former to a smooth and uniform wearingsurface.....

These plates may also, when necessary, be provided on the upper and lower flanges with integral projections of such configuration as to fully occupy the worn recesses in the under surface of the rail-tread and the upper These substitute fish-plates may in some instances be cast in molds of appropriate form We prefer, however, to prepare them from the removed fishplates themselves,and by means of a swaging operation in dies suitable for the purpose and so constructed that when the worn fishplates are placed in the dies and submitted to the requisite compressiona flow of metal will take place therein suflicient not only to restore them to their original dimensions and make the necessary offset in the flanges, but

to provide them with supplementalpgfltions projecting sufficiently beyond the normal standard dimensions as to fit within andfill the worn-away portions of the rail ends. When the swaged' fish-plales are again adjusted in place, it is evident that the railjoint is fully restored to its originaleificiency.

For purposes of illustration we have showh our invention in the accompanying drawings as applied to a standard girdere joi-nt, al-

though it will of course be understood that it is equally applicable to other similar railjoints-as, for instance, similarly-constructed T-rail joints.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents in perspective a standard girder-rail joint and indicates the character of the wear to which the fish-plates and rail ends are subjected. Fig. 2 represents a like view of a restored joint before the grinding or filing of the receivingrail. Fig. 3 represents a like view of the joint after the grinding or filing operation.

Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, wherein the arrow indicates the direction of travel, a indicates the end of the delivery-rail, and b the end of the-receiving-rail, these rail ends in the standard construction being joined by the fish-plates c, which span said meeting ends and which are bolted through the rail-webs in the customary manner, as shown.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, the end of the receiving-rail b finally becomes worn at the place indicated by the letter 01, the distance of this place from the end of the receivingrail depending upon the diameter of the carwheels and usually being at from twoand one-half to three inches from the end of the a rail. It will also be noted that the upper flange e of the fish-plate is worn at or near its center, as indicated, and that the base-flange f of the fish-plate is likewise worn at its center, this additional wear being also due' to the impact of the car-wheels asthey pass from the delivery-rail to the receiving-rail of the joint. When thew'ear has attained suich a degree as to require renewal of the joint, the joint is disassembled and the fish-plates removed. In lieu of the removed fish-plates substitute fish-plates are inserted of the character indicated in Fig. 2, these substitute fishplates 0 being providedwith shoulders g h, which project slightly beyond the normal level, so as to occupy the recesses due to the raising of the end of the worn receiving-rail. The end of the receiving-rail is raised sulficiently, as indicated in Fig. 2, to bring the tread at a level appropriat'eto the removal of s the wear at the place (1 of the receiving-rail.

' The joint beingthe'n assembled, the projecting portion of the tread 'ofjthe receiving-rail is ground or filed down I to a level withthe tread of the delivery-rail, as indicated in Fig. 3, thus removing the depression (1 and thus completing the restoration of the joint Without the em loyment of shims or other like temporary expedient's. w

g In practice we find it convei'iient to produce the substitute fish-platesfrom the wornfishplates by heating the worn fish-plates toa swaging temperature and inserting them in dies so fashioned as to provide recesses with-- in which the swaged metal can flow to an-extent suflicient to bring them to the configuration required for the substitute fisheplate's. It is evident, however, that in some instances the substitute fish-plates may be cast directly as such from molten metal or that they may be swaged or otherwise formed from new or practically new standard fish-plates.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is- 1'. A restdr'ed rail-jcint, the end of whose receiving-rail has been raised and whose raised receiving-rail tread has been ground or filed down to a level with the tread of the delivery-rail, said rail-jointbeing provided with fish-plates spanning the proximate rail j ends and interposed between the head and flange portions of the rails, said fish -plates having flanged projections or offsets beyond the standard normal, said oifsets fitting within and occupying corresponding recesses beneath the under surface of the raised head of 1 the receiving-rail; substantially as described.

2. A restored rail-joint, the end of whose receiving-rail has been raised and whose raised receiving-rail tread has been ground or filed down to a level with the tread of the delivery-rail, said rail-joint bei ngprovided with fish-plates spanning the roximate rail ends and interposed between the head and flange portions of the rails, said fish-plates having flanged projections or offsets beyond the standard normal, said ofiset's fitting with- I- in and occupying, corresponding recesses beheath the under surface of the raised head of the receiving-rail and above the base of the delivery-ran; substantially as described.

3. A restored rail-joint, consisting of a delivery-rail? of substantially normal configurati n, anda receiving-rail whose end has been raised and whose tread has bee n ground or" filed down to a level with the tread of the delivery-rail, said rail-joint bein provided with fish-plates havingil'angeoifsets or shoulders fitting within the recesses thus provided;

substantially as described.

4. Afish-placaternsgtoringwom rail-joints,

; said fish-plate being offsii bstantiall y uniform height throughout its length, but provided i with a shoulder on its upper flange, said shoulder eXt-endingslightly above the normal surface of the flange, so as to underlie a corre'sponding'sli'ght rise of the receiving end of the restored joint; substantially as described.

5. A fish-plate forrestoring worn rail-joints, said fish-plate being of substantially uniform height throughout its length, but provided with a shoulder on its upper flange, said shoulderextending slightly above the normal surface of the flange, so as to underlie a corresponding slight rise or the receiving end of the restored joint; and havin'gasimilarshoulder in its base-flange; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we aflix' our signatures in presence of witnesses.

HARRY B. NICHOLS. I

WILFRED E. BOUGHTON. Witnesses:

EDwiN H. MARTIN, ALFRED R. OoLLINs.

IIO 

